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A Few Easy Pest Control Recipes For Organic Farming

byAhmet K.onJuly 13, 2011

Pests are usually a particular headache for the aspiring organic farmer, you want to get rid of the little bugs but since the conventional chemical insect destroyers are off the limits you feel you have to choose between giving up on organic farming or risking your whole production. But we’ve prepared a little guide on how to control pests for your organic farming experiments with little effort.

1 – Alcohol Spray:

Fill 3/4 of a cup with Isopropyl Alcohol, complete the remaining 1/4 with water. Test this on a small number of your plants first, if there’s no negative effects in a few days, you can apply this mixture to all your plants. Effective against aphids, white flies and thrips.

2- Garlic Oil Spray:

It is a proven repellent for most of the pests. When mixed with mineral oil or pure soap, it’s a very effective insecticide as well. Most effective against aphids, white flies and some kinds of caterpillars.

Preparation: Chop 3 garlic cloves of 28 grams each to very small pieces. Keep them in 2 teaspoons of mineral oil for at least 24 hours. After this period, slowly add half a liter of water and then sift the mixture into a jar. Take 2 tablespoons of mixture when you’re about to use the spray, mix it with half a liter water and apply to whole surface of your plant.

3- Tomato Leaves:

Tomato, potato and tobacco leaves contain noxious alkaloid. These toxins will dissolve in water and minced leaves can be put into water for a night to create an easily made insecticide. The ratio is one cup of leaves for two cups of water. Apply to whole plant.

4- Salt Spray:

5- Aromatic Plant Spray:

Many kinds of aromatic plants are used as repellents by organic farmers. The most common plants for this kind of solutions are Sage, Tansy and Thyme. These sprays also repel some of the leaf eaters.

1-2 cups of fresh leaves are mixed with 2-4 cups of water and left overnight. Add a small amount of liquid soap to make the spray stick to the leaves of your plants. Success usually depends on the spraying of whole plant. This method should be used on a weekly basis.

THIS is exactly the type of information I’ve been looking for! Yippieeeee!! I knew that there was a way to combat insects without poisoning my family in the process, but I’ve never found a whole collection of homemade recipes that seemed “doable” until now. Is it weird that I’m actually excited about making herbal bug-killing potions with my own two hands? Just so we’re clear, I try to respect all living creatures, but when the microscopic little munchers are hell-bent on plowing through the tiny plot of crops that I’ve poured my blood, sweat and tears into, then I officially declare war!! Thanks a lot for giving me a fantastic array of ammunition to choose from. My favorite choices right off the bat are the tomato leaf and herbal infusions — both are a revellation to me!!